Refrigerator

ABSTRACT

A refrigerator including an auxiliary receiving chamber is disclosed. The refrigerator includes a main body having a storage chamber, and a door which opens or closes the storage chamber and has a receiving space formed at a back side of the door. The door includes an auxiliary storage area having an opening to store goods, an auxiliary receiving chamber disposed in the auxiliary storage area to move back and forth, an auxiliary door to open or close the opening, and an opening/closing member to extract or retract the auxiliary receiving chamber.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No.2007-0004641, filed on Jan. 16, 2007 in the Korean Intellectual PropertyOffice, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly,to a refrigerator including an auxiliary receiving chamber.

2. Description of the Related Art

Generally, a refrigerator comprises a housing including a coolingchamber and a freezing chamber respectively disposed in an upper portionand a lower portion of the housing. Recently, a so-called side-by-siderefrigerator including a housing divided into left and rightcompartments is commercially available.

The side-by-side refrigerator includes a cooling chamber and a freezingchamber respectively disposed in the left and right compartmentsseparated by a partition. The side-by-side refrigerator further includesa cooling chamber door and a freezing chamber door rotatably disposed onthe front surfaces of the cooling chamber and the freezing chamber toopen or close the cooling chamber and the freezing chamber,respectively.

Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No. 10-2005-72617 discloses anexample of the side-by-side refrigerator.

The refrigerator disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No.10-2005-72617 includes a main body including a freezing chamber and acooling chamber, which are separated by a partition and respectivelyhave front door openings. The refrigerator further includes a freezingchamber door and a cooling chamber door rotatably disposed at the mainbody to open or close the front door openings of the freezing chamberand the cooling chamber.

Further, an auxiliary freezing storage area having a front opening isprovided in the freezing chamber door. The auxiliary freezing storagearea allows a certain portion of the freezing chamber to communicatewith the outside of the freezing chamber, thereby storing goods in thefreezing chamber without opening the freezing chamber door. Theauxiliary freezing storage area includes a freezing chamber home-bardoor for opening or closing the front opening of the auxiliary freezingstorage area.

Further, an auxiliary cooling storage area having a front opening isprovided in the cooling chamber door. The auxiliary cooling storage areaallows a certain portion of the cooling chamber to communicate with anoutside of the cooling chamber, thereby storing goods in the coolingchamber without opening the cooling chamber door. The auxiliary coolingstorage area includes a cooling chamber home-bar door for opening orclosing the front opening of the auxiliary cooling storage area.

However, the auxiliary freezing storage area of the freezing chamberdoor and the auxiliary cooling storage area of the cooling chamber doorprovide storage spaces for simply storing goods. Since each auxiliarystorage area has a large height, when goods are stored in the auxiliarystorage area, a void is generated in an upper portion of the auxiliarystorage area, thereby reducing space efficiency.

Particularly, the auxiliary freezing storage area of the freezingchamber door is mainly used to store frequently-used frozen food havinga small height, such as ice cream, thereby enlarging the void.

Further, the refrigerator disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-openPublication No. 10-2005-72617 includes an ice tray for making ice (e.g.,ice cubes) and an ice storage area for storing the ice cubes. That is,when the ice cubes are made in the ice tray, a user separates the icecubes from the ice tray. The ice cubes are stored in the ice storagearea and the user takes the ice cubes out of the ice storage area whennecessary. In this case, the ice storage area is disposed on a receivingshelf of the freezing chamber. Accordingly, when the ice cubes are takenout of the ice storage area, the user has to open the freezing chamberdoor and then take the ice cubes out of the ice storage area disposed onthe receiving shelf. Otherwise, the user has to take the ice storagearea out of the freezing chamber to take the ice cubes and put the icestorage area back on the receiving shelf, causing inconvenience to theuser. Particularly, since the ice cubes are frequently taken out of thefreezing chamber, the freezing chamber door should be opened when takingthe ice cubes out of the freezing chamber, thereby reducing powerconsumption.

SUMMARY

The present invention has been made in order to solve the aboveproblems. It is an aspect of the invention to provide a refrigeratorhaving a structure capable of improving space efficiency of a coolingchamber or a freezing chamber.

It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a refrigeratorhaving a structure capable of facilitating the loading and unloading ofgoods.

It is yet another aspect of the present invention to provide arefrigerator having a structure capable of loading/unloading iceinto/from a freezing chamber without opening a freezing chamber door,thereby reducing power consumption.

Additional aspects and/or advantages will be set forth in part in thedescription which follows and, in part, will be apparent from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

The foregoing and other aspects of the invention are achieved byproviding a refrigerator comprising a main body defining a storagechamber; a door which opens or closes the storage chamber and defines areceiving space formed at a back side of the door, comprising: anauxiliary receiving chamber defined in the receiving space, and anopening/closing member to open or close the receiving space, wherein theauxiliary receiving chamber is extracted from or retracted into thereceiving space in association with movement of the opening/closingmember.

The refrigerator further comprises an auxiliary storage area defined inthe receiving space to include an opening formed on a front surface ofthe door. The auxiliary receiving chamber is defined in the auxiliarystorage area and further includes an auxiliary door to open or close theopening.

The refrigerator further comprises a first guiding part formed in theauxiliary receiving chamber such that the auxiliary receiving chamber isextracted or retracted through the opening.

The refrigerator further comprises a third guiding part formed in theopening/closing member and connected with the first guiding part toguide extraction and retraction of the auxiliary receiving chamber.

The refrigerator further comprises a rotation axis portion and a stopperdisposed in the opening/closing member. The stopper is configured toprevent over-rotation of the opening/closing member.

The refrigerator further comprises a second guiding part formed in theauxiliary receiving chamber to guide extraction and retraction of theauxiliary receiving chamber in association with rotation of theopening/closing member.

The refrigerator further comprises a guide rail disposed in theauxiliary storage area such that the auxiliary receiving chamber ismoved while maintaining a horizontal state; and a guide protrusiondisposed in the auxiliary receiving chamber to correspond to the guiderail.

The refrigerator further comprises a supporting member disposed in theauxiliary storage area to support the auxiliary receiving chamber.

The storage chamber is divided into a cooling chamber and a freezingchamber, and the door comprises a cooling chamber door and a freezingchamber door to open or close the cooling chamber and the freezingchamber, respectively. The auxiliary receiving chamber is disposed inthe freezing chamber door.

The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention are achievedby providing a refrigerator comprising: a main body having a storagechamber; and a door to open or close the storage chamber, wherein thedoor includes: an auxiliary storage area having an opening to storegoods; an auxiliary receiving chamber disposed in the auxiliary storagearea to move back and forth; and an auxiliary door to open or close theopening.

The refrigerator further comprises a first guiding part formed in theauxiliary receiving chamber to guide extraction and retraction of theauxiliary receiving chamber; and a guide formed in the auxiliary storagearea to correspond to the first guiding part.

The auxiliary receiving chamber moves in forward and backward directionsof the door such that goods are loaded or unloaded at front and backsides of the door.

The refrigerator further comprises an opening/closing member to open orclose the auxiliary receiving chamber.

The refrigerator further comprises a second guiding part formed in theauxiliary receiving chamber to guide extraction and retraction of theauxiliary receiving chamber in association with rotation of theopening/closing member.

The refrigerator further comprises a guide rail disposed in theauxiliary storage area such that the auxiliary receiving chamber ismoved while maintaining a horizontal state.

The foregoing and/or other aspects are also achieved by providing arefrigerator comprising: a main body having a storage chamber; and adoor to open or close the storage chamber, comprising: an auxiliaryreceiving chamber disposed in the door, a guiding part to guide movementof the auxiliary receiving chamber, and an opening/closing member toopen or close the auxiliary receiving chamber.

The guiding part includes a first guiding part to guide extraction andretraction of the auxiliary receiving chamber, and a second guiding partto guide movement of the auxiliary receiving chamber in association withrotation of the opening/closing member.

The second guiding part is bent at one end of the first guiding part tobe inclined.

The door includes an auxiliary storage area having an opening and anauxiliary door to open or close the opening, and the auxiliary receivingchamber is disposed in the auxiliary storage area. The auxiliary storagearea includes a guide rail to guide the auxiliary receiving chamber tomove while maintaining its horizontal state.

The opening/closing member is provided with a rotation axis portion toenable rotation of the opening/closing member and a stopper to preventover-rotation of the opening/closing member, and a cover of theauxiliary receiving chamber is provided with a stopper guide formed overa predetermined region to guide movement of the stopper.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects and advantages will become apparent and morereadily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments,taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a refrigerator according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an auxiliary storage area when anauxiliary door of a freezing chamber of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1is opened;

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the auxiliary storage area when anopening/closing member of the freezing chamber of the refrigerator shownin FIG. 1 is opened;

FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of essential parts of therefrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the auxiliary storage area shownin FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the auxiliary storage area shownin FIG. 2; and

FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of essential parts of a refrigeratoraccording to another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments, examples ofwhich are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein likereference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. Theembodiments are described below to explain the present invention byreferring to the figures.

Although the present invention can be applied to a general refrigeratorincluding a cooling chamber and a freezing chamber respectively disposedin the upper and lower compartments, a side-by-side refrigeratorincluding a cooling chamber and a freezing chamber respectively disposedin the left and right compartments will be described as an example inthe embodiments of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, a refrigerator according to one embodiment of thepresent invention comprises a main body 10 including storage chambers 12and 13, i.e., a freezing chamber 12 and a cooling chamber 13, separatedby an intermediate partition 11 and doors 20 and 30 disposed at thefront side of the main body 10 to open or close the freezing chamber 12and the cooling chamber 13.

Although not shown in drawings, a freezing cycle device is implementedusing known elements in the main body 10 to cool the freezing chamber 12and the cooling chamber 13 to a low temperature.

The doors 20 and 30 include a freezing chamber door 20 connected to themain body 10 to open or close the freezing chamber 12 and a coolingchamber door 30 connected to the main body 10 to open or close thecooling chamber 13.

Auxiliary storage areas 40 and 70 are respectively provided in the doors20 and 30 to easily insert or remove goods such as beverages in or outof the freezing chamber 12 and cooling chamber 13 without opening thedoors 20 and 30.

Also, an auxiliary storage area may be disposed in only one of thefreezing chamber door 20 and the cooling chamber door 30. Therefrigerator including the auxiliary storage areas 40 and 70respectively disposed in the freezing chamber door 20 and the coolingchamber door 30 will be described in this embodiment.

The auxiliary storage area 70 disposed in the cooling chamber door 30includes an opening 31 formed in the cooling chamber door 30 to load orunload goods to be stored, a basket 32 fixed and mounted on the rearsurface of the cooling chamber door 30, an auxiliary door 33 opening orclosing the opening 31, and a cover 34 mounted on the basket 32.

The auxiliary storage area 70 provides an extra storage space defined bythe cover 34 and the basket 32 and separated from the cooling chamber13. A cool air introduction hole 35 is formed on the cover 34 to allowcool air to flow between the auxiliary storage area 70 and the coolingchamber 13.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a receiving space is formed on the rearsurface of the freezing chamber door 20. At least one receiving guard 21keeping relatively small goods is provided in the receiving space. Anauxiliary storage area 40 of the freezing chamber 12 is disposed belowthe receiving guard 21 in the receiving space.

The auxiliary storage area 40 disposed in the freezing chamber door 20includes an opening 41 formed in the freezing chamber door 20 to load orunload goods to be stored, a basket 42 fixed and mounted on the rearsurface of the freezing chamber door 20, an auxiliary door 43 opening orclosing the opening 41 and a cover 44 mounted on the basket 42.

The auxiliary storage 40 area provides an extra storage space defined bythe cover 44 and the basket 42 and separated from the freezing chamber12. A cool air introduction hole 45 is formed at the lower back side ofthe cover 44 to allow cool air to flow between the auxiliary storage 40area and the freezing chamber 12.

The auxiliary door 43 is provided at the opening 41 to load or unloadgoods into or from the auxiliary storage area 40. The auxiliary door 43is hinge-connected to the lower opposite sides of the opening 41. Theopening 41 is opened by rotating the auxiliary door 43 downward andclosed by rotating the auxiliary door 43 upward.

An auxiliary receiving chamber 50 is disposed in an upper portion of theauxiliary storage area 40 to reduce the void of the auxiliary storagearea 40.

The auxiliary receiving chamber 50 is separated from a lower storagespace 47 by a supporting member 46. The auxiliary receiving chamber 50includes an opening/closing member 60, so that the auxiliary receivingchamber 50 can be extracted or retracted while opening or closing theauxiliary receiving chamber 50.

The auxiliary receiving chamber 50 is generally formed as a drawer,i.e., a box with an open top. A handle 51 is outwardly formed on thefront surface of the freezing chamber door 20 such that the user caneasily extract or retract the auxiliary receiving chamber 50. Theopening/closing member 60 is coupled to the back side of the auxiliaryreceiving chamber 50 such that the auxiliary receiving chamber 50 can beextracted or retracted while opening or closing the auxiliary receivingchamber 50.

Further, guiding parts 52 are symmetrically disposed at the oppositesides of the auxiliary receiving chamber 50 to guide the extraction orretraction of the auxiliary receiving chamber 50.

As shown in FIG. 4, the guiding parts 52 include first guiding parts 52a for guiding the back and forth movement of the auxiliary receivingchamber 50 and second guiding parts 52 b for guiding the extraction andretraction of the auxiliary receiving chamber 50 together with therotation of the opening/closing member 60.

The first guiding parts 52 a are formed as an approximately horizontalrail. Protrusion-shaped third guiding parts 61 of the opening/closingmember 60 (to be described later) are inserted into the first guidingparts 52 a to move back and forth, whereby the auxiliary receivingchamber 50 can be extracted from and retracted into the freezing chamberdoor 20 through the opening 41.

Further, the second guiding parts 52 b are formed as a slant rail suchthat they are inclined upward from front end portions of the firstguiding parts 52 a.

Further, receiving grooves 52 c are formed at the upper sides of contactportions between the first guiding parts 52 a and the second guidingparts 52 b to cover the one side of the third guiding parts 61. At aninitial rotation of the opening/closing member 60, the auxiliaryreceiving chamber 50 is moved up due to the receiving grooves 52 c. Whenthe opening/closing member 60 is rotated by a specified angle or more,the third guiding parts 61 are separated from the receiving grooves 52 cdue to gravity to slide in the second guiding parts 52 b. Thus, thereceiving grooves 52 c facilitate smooth opening and closing of theopening/closing member 60.

Further, rotation axis portions 62 are disposed at the lower innersurface of the opening/closing member 60 such that the opening/closingmember 60 can be opened or closed while being vertically rotated.Stoppers 63 are disposed adjacent to the rotation axis portions 62 toprevent over-rotation of the opening/closing member 60.

Further, the protrusion-shaped third guiding parts 61 of theopening/closing member 60 are fitted in the receiving grooves 52 c ofthe auxiliary receiving chamber 50 while being spaced at a specifieddistance from the rotation axis portions 62. When the auxiliaryreceiving chamber 50 is extracted forward from the freezing chamber door20 through the opening 41, the third guiding parts 61 slide in the firstguiding parts 52 a. Further, when the auxiliary receiving chamber 50 ismoved together with the opening/closing member 60, the third guidingparts 61 slide in the second guiding parts 52 b.

By closing the opening/closing member 60, it is possible to maintain therelatively constant temperature in the auxiliary receiving chamber 50and improve its appearance. Further, when the auxiliary receivingchamber 50 is used as an ice storage, it is possible to prevent rapidtemperature change in the auxiliary receiving chamber 50. Thus, eventhough the freezing chamber door 20 is opened for a long period of time,it is possible to somewhat prevent ice from being stuck to the auxiliaryreceiving chamber 50 or stuck to each other by delaying melting of ice.

Further, the rotation axis portions 62 are connected to the loweropposite sides of the cover 44 disposed on the basket 42 such that theopening/closing member 60 can be rotatably moved. Stopper guides 44 aare formed into an arc shape with a specified angle to guide themovement of the stoppers 63 provided in the opening/closing member 60.The stopper guides 44 a are provided such that the opening/closingmember 60 has a rotation angle of approximately 90 degrees. When theopening/closing member 60 is opened at the maximum angle, the stoppers63 are moved to the end portions of the stopper guides 44 a, whereby theopening/closing member 60 is no longer rotated.

Further, guide rails 44 b having an arc shape are disposed at the frontopposite sides of the cover 44. Thus, when the auxiliary receivingchamber 50 is extracted or retracted by the opening/closing member 60,it is possible to prevent the auxiliary receiving chamber 50 from beinginclined due to the up and down movement of the front portion of theauxiliary receiving chamber 50, thereby maintaining the auxiliaryreceiving chamber 50 to be horizontal. Further, guide protrusions 53corresponding to the guide rails 44 b are disposed in theopening/closing member 60 such that the guide protrusions 53 slide alongthe guide rails 44 b.

Hereinafter, the operation of the auxiliary receiving chamber 50 of therefrigerator in accordance with the embodiment of the present inventionwill be described.

In case that the auxiliary receiving chamber 50 is extracted orretracted while the freezing chamber door 20 is closed, as shown inFIGS. 2 and 6, the auxiliary door 43 provided in the freezing chamberdoor 20 is opened and the auxiliary receiving chamber 50 disposed in theupper portion of the auxiliary storage area 40 is moved back and forth.In this case, the third guiding parts 61 of the opening/closing member60 slide in the first guiding parts 52 a of the auxiliary receivingchamber 50, thereby facilitating the extraction and retraction of theauxiliary receiving chamber 50.

Further, in case that the auxiliary receiving chamber 50 is extracted orretracted at the back side of the freezing chamber door 20 while thefreezing chamber door 20 is opened, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, when theopening/closing member 60 is rotated downward, the auxiliary receivingchamber 50 begins to move while the receiving grooves 52 c are pressedby the third guiding parts 61. When the opening/closing member 60 isrotated by a specified angle or more, the third guiding parts 61 areseparated from the receiving grooves 52 c due to gravity to slide in thesecond guiding parts 52 b. In this case, the guide protrusions 53 of theauxiliary receiving chamber 50 move back and forth along the guide rails44 b of the auxiliary storage area 40. Thus, the auxiliary receivingchamber 50 can be extracted or retracted while stably maintaining itshorizontal state. Further, the stoppers 63 of the opening/closing member60 are moved to the end portions of the stopper guides 44 a, therebypreventing the over-rotation of the opening/closing member 60.

When the opening/closing member 60 is opened, the auxiliary receivingchamber 50 is disposed on the rear surface of the opening/closing member60 so as to be movable out of the auxiliary storage area 40. Thus, sincethe top portion of the auxiliary receiving chamber 50 is opened, theuser can easily load or unload goods into or from the auxiliaryreceiving chamber 50. Further, when the opening/closing member 60 isclosed, the operation opposite to that performed in case of opening theopening/closing member 60 is carried out. Thus, it is possible toprevent cool air from rapidly flowing out of the auxiliary receivingchamber 50 and present a good appearance.

Although the auxiliary receiving chamber is disposed in the auxiliarystorage area in this embodiment, the auxiliary receiving chamber can bedisposed in a certain receiving space at the back side of the doorindependent of the auxiliary storage area. Further, the auxiliaryreceiving chamber can be mounted in the refrigerator without theauxiliary storage area.

Hereinafter, a refrigerator according to another embodiment of thepresent invention will be described.

In this embodiment, like reference numerals designate like parts havingpractically the same functions as in the previous embodiment to omitredundant description.

As shown in FIG. 7, an auxiliary receiving chamber 80 disposed in therefrigerator according to another embodiment of the present inventionincludes a plurality of fourth guiding parts 83 having a protrusionshape that are horizontally provided at the opposite sides of theauxiliary receiving chamber 80. Further, handles 81 and 82 arerespectively formed on the front and back surfaces of the auxiliaryreceiving chamber 80 to facilitate opening and closing of the auxiliaryreceiving chamber 80.

Further, rail-shaped fifth guiding parts 44 c are disposed on the cover44 of the auxiliary storage area 40 to correspond to the fourth guidingparts 83. The fourth guiding parts 83 slide in the fifth guiding parts44 c, whereby the auxiliary receiving chamber 80 can move back and forthin the auxiliary storage area 40.

In this case, the fourth guiding parts 83 may be configured to have aprotrusion shape and the fifth guiding parts 44 c may be configured tohave a rail shape.

Further, an opening is provided on the rear surface of the cover 44 ofthe auxiliary storage area 40 such that the auxiliary receiving chamber80 can be extracted from or retracted into the auxiliary storage area40. The opening is spaced at a specified distance from the outer surfaceof the auxiliary receiving chamber 80, thereby facilitating theextraction and retraction of the auxiliary receiving chamber 80 andlimiting the flow of cool air.

As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have aneffect of minimizing the void by providing the auxiliary receivingchamber in the upper portion of the auxiliary storage area.

Further, according to the embodiments of the present invention, theauxiliary receiving chamber can move back and forth at the front andback sides of the freezing chamber door together with the rotation ofthe opening/closing member, thereby improving user convenience.

Further, according to the embodiments of the present invention, theopening/closing member is provided in the auxiliary receiving chamber,thereby preventing rapid temperature change in the auxiliary receivingchamber when the door is opened and presenting a good appearance.

Although a few embodiments have been shown and described, it would beappreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made inthese embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit ofthe invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and theirequivalents.

1. A refrigerator comprising: a main body defining a storage chamber; adoor which opens or closes the storage chamber and defines a receivingspace formed at a back side of the door, comprising: an auxiliaryreceiving chamber defined in the receiving space; and an opening/closingmember to open or close the receiving space, wherein the auxiliaryreceiving chamber is extracted from or retracted into the receivingspace in association with movement of the opening/closing member.
 2. Therefrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising: an auxiliarystorage area defined in the receiving space to include an opening formedon a front surface of the door, wherein the auxiliary receiving chamberis defined in the auxiliary storage area and further includes anauxiliary door to open or close the opening.
 3. The refrigeratoraccording to claim 2, further comprising: a first guiding part formed inthe auxiliary receiving chamber such that the auxiliary receivingchamber is extracted or retracted through the opening.
 4. Therefrigerator according to claim 3, further comprising: a third guidingpart formed in the opening/closing member and connected with the firstguiding part to guide extraction and retraction of the auxiliaryreceiving chamber.
 5. The refrigerator according to claim 1, furthercomprising: a rotation axis portion and a stopper disposed in theopening/closing member, the stopper being configured to preventover-rotation of the opening/closing member.
 6. The refrigeratoraccording to claim 1, further comprising: a second guiding part formedin the auxiliary receiving chamber to guide extraction and retraction ofthe auxiliary receiving chamber in association with rotation of theopening/closing member.
 7. The refrigerator according to claim 2,further comprising: a guide rail disposed in the auxiliary storage areasuch that the auxiliary receiving chamber is moved while maintaining ahorizontal state; and a guide protrusion disposed in the auxiliaryreceiving chamber to correspond to the guide rail.
 8. The refrigeratoraccording to claim 2, further comprising: a supporting member disposedin the auxiliary storage area to support the auxiliary receivingchamber.
 9. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the storagechamber is divided into a cooling chamber and a freezing chamber, andthe door comprises a cooling chamber door and a freezing chamber door toopen or close the cooling chamber and the freezing chamber,respectively, and wherein the auxiliary receiving chamber is disposed inthe freezing chamber door.
 10. A refrigerator comprising: a main bodyhaving a storage chamber; and a door to open or close the storagechamber, wherein the door includes: an auxiliary storage area having anopening to store goods; an auxiliary receiving chamber disposed in theauxiliary storage area to move back and forth; and an auxiliary door toopen or close the opening.
 11. The refrigerator according to claim 10,further comprising: a first guiding part formed in the auxiliaryreceiving chamber to guide extraction and retraction of the auxiliaryreceiving chamber; and a guide formed in the auxiliary storage area tocorrespond to the first guiding part.
 12. The refrigerator according toclaim 10, wherein the auxiliary receiving chamber moves in forward andbackward directions of the door such that goods are loaded or unloadedat front and back sides of the door.
 13. The refrigerator according toclaim 10, further comprising: an opening/closing member to open or closethe auxiliary receiving chamber.
 14. The refrigerator according to claim13, further comprising: a second guiding part formed in the auxiliaryreceiving chamber to guide extraction and retraction of the auxiliaryreceiving chamber in association with rotation of the opening/closingmember.
 15. The refrigerator according to claim 14, further comprising:a guide rail disposed in the auxiliary storage area such that theauxiliary receiving chamber is moved while maintaining a horizontalstate.
 16. The refrigerator according to claim 10, wherein the storagechamber is divided into a cooling chamber and a freezing chamber, andthe door comprises a cooling chamber door and a freezing chamber door toopen or close the cooling chamber and the freezing chamber,respectively, and wherein the auxiliary receiving chamber is disposed inthe freezing chamber door.
 17. A refrigerator comprising: a main bodyhaving a storage chamber; and a door to open or close the storagechamber, comprising: an auxiliary receiving chamber disposed in thedoor, a guiding part to guide movement of the auxiliary receivingchamber, and an opening/closing member to open or close the auxiliaryreceiving chamber.
 18. The refrigerator according to claim 17, whereinthe guiding part includes a first guiding part to guide extraction andretraction of the auxiliary receiving chamber, and a second guiding partto guide movement of the auxiliary receiving chamber in association withrotation of the opening/closing member.
 19. The refrigerator accordingto claim 18, wherein the second guiding part is bent at one end of thefirst guiding part to be inclined.
 20. The refrigerator according toclaim 17, wherein the door includes an auxiliary storage area having anopening and an auxiliary door to open or close the opening, theauxiliary receiving chamber is disposed in the auxiliary storage area,and the auxiliary storage area includes a guide rail to guide theauxiliary receiving chamber to move while maintaining its horizontalstate.
 21. The refrigerator according to claim 17, wherein theopening/closing member is provided with a rotation axis portion toenable rotation of the opening/closing member and a stopper to preventover-rotation of the opening/closing member, and a cover of theauxiliary receiving chamber is provided with a stopper guide formed overa predetermined region to guide movement of the stopper.
 22. Arefrigerator comprising: a main storage area; a door to open or closethe main storage area; an auxiliary receiving chamber disposed in thedoor at an upper portion of the main storage area; and anopening/closing member to extract or retract the auxiliary receivingchamber.